A clear explanation of the mathematics that underlies comprehension of Rubik's Cube, and how the cube itself can be used to grasp the fundamentals of group theory.
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In thirty years, Rubik's cube, invented by Erno Rubik, has established itself as a never-ending source of delight, frustration and intellectual stimulation to children and adults alike. There is a large literature on the subject, but one of the few books to have established themselves as offering a serious contribution to the subject is Alexander H. Frey's and David Singmaster's 'Handbook of Cubik Math', first published in 1982. rnrnFrey and Singmaster were the first to offer an elegant mathematical solution to the cube, doing it in a form that enabled readers to understand the processes that have been undertaken. As a result the book has proved readily accessible to generations both of high-school math students and of more advanced college students of algebra. The solution is intuitive, and does not require memorisation of formulae.rnrnThe authors demonstrate how movements of the cube exemplify the fascinating but abstract field of mathematics known as group theory. Using the cube as a model they make comprehensible and concrete the hard-to-understand ideas of group theory.rnrnTheir hypothesis that the maximum number of moves required for 'God's Algorithm' was in the low twenties was proved correct in 2008 by Tomas Rokicki, who showed that it was twenty-two.rnrnIn addition to showing how to solve Rubik's cube, the authors explain the theory involved, and its application to similar puzzles. They also show how the cube provides a physical example for many mathematical concepts where such examples are scarce, and the book therefore provides a useful teaching aid. rnrnDr Alexander H. Frey, Jr., received his PhD in Mathematics in 1960. He worked for over thirty years for IBM, and then for fifteen years on distributed file system technology. Now retired, he pursues his interest in the mathematical properties of many puzzles, including Sudoku and four and five dimensional Rubik's cubes.rnrnDavid Singmaster is recognised as the world's leading authority on the mathematics of Rubik's Cube. An American by birth and citizenship he was until his retirement a Lecturer in Mathematical Sciences at South Bank University, London, England. His earlier 'Notes on Rubik's Magic Cube' was described by Scientific American as "the definitive treatise".rnrn'The best book yet written - or likely to be written - on the wonders and the dark, unsolved mysteries of the cube.' - Martin Gardner
